Big Vin

They did not remove all the launderettes, but on the decks where there used to be two, there are now only one. I think this is a permanent change in that they modified the signage at the elevators. I see they also now modified the pdf deck plans ... but they forgot to modify it here ... On deck 8, the forward one still exists, but the aft one is gone. I'm not sure if the same is true on Decks 7 and 9 - I think perhaps they did that the opposite way, aft retained, forward removed. That said, the included laundry is a great benefit. But there are still a lot of reasons to use the launderettes.

I just happened to be in the forum. (I'm in the market for a new BCLF ... Best Cruise Line Forever ... and thought that maybe Crystal is it.) Anyway, I ran across this link the other day and thought you, and others from the area, might enjoy it. http://martinostimemachine.blogspot.com/2017/09/when-this-photo-of-me-was-taken-in-our.html I hope you and family are safe from that naughty girl, Hilary! 😀

LeeAnne, Shayna Punim, I'm so sorry I haven't kept in touch with you and Charlie! I'm going to write you a long email right now ... but you know how that goes ... I might still be writing tomorrow. In the mean time, Mrs Vin says to send you her regards too. 😀

Last week in Alaska, 100% of the tours over four port days started on the pier. Rare elephant. 😀 My point was that I liked this better.

Here are some recent ones from Explorer, Anchorage to Vancouver. 00802_000106549_august_2_passages_4.pdf 00803_000106550_august_3_passages_4.pdf 00804_000106551_august_4_passages_4.pdf 00805_000106552_august_5_passages_4.pdf 00806_000106553_august_6_passages_4.pdf 00807_000106554_august_7_passages_4.pdf 00808_000106555_august_8_passages_4.pdf 00809_000106556_august_9_passages_4.pdf

On our recently completed Alaskan cruise, all four of our tours had directions on the big ticket to go directly to the pier. This is consistent to @flossie009's post, above, that it might start in the theater or on the pier. All of my prior Regent/Radisson cruises started in the theater though. So I perceived starting on the pier as a welcome innovation. It meant that we could leave the ship early, and not have to get back on board to exchange tickets. There was no downside from my perspective, although I could see that it might be an issue controlling the number of passengers in the gangway. Maybe it only something they do when there are fewer passengers on board.

I didn't experience any terrible excursions last week on the August 2 thru August 9 cruise. We did two included tours in that period, and two Regent Choice tours. One thing I appreciated was that the descriptions given by Destination Services was accurate, although sometimes odd. In Sitka, we did an included tour, Tongass Rainforest Nature Hike. The odd part was the description was three hours, 2 to 4 miles. It turned out that four miles was correct - based on the trail, I don't see how they would have adjusted to two miles if needed. Anyway, as in most tours of this sort, it largely depends on the tour guide. The downside from Sitka is that Explorer was relegated to a new docking facility (I call it Storage B) outside of of town. So if you want to just explore(r) the town, you need to take a shuttle there. After such an exciting day in the rainforest (that was sarcasm) we never went into town. (But we've been there before.) Storage B: In Skagway, we took the White Pass train, which was also an included tour. We were wait-list for the VIP version of this tour, but that didn't happen. I'm glad we didn't do the VIP tour, though, because the regular train was fine, and we could easily go without alcohol for three hours. Plus, we rode in the last car (not a caboose) of the train, and that meant I could take photos off the platform back there. Passengers are allowed on the platforms between cars for unobstructed photos, but they are not allowed to move between cars. Unfortunately, there are still few unobstructed views (as there would also be on the VIP car) because Alaska reeks of trees! But no problem here, which is at the apex of the climb. skagway.mp4 Finally, there is a danger of landslides between where the boat docks and where you board the train, and although it's only about one football field in length, you have to take a bus. In Juneau, we paid for Sled Dog Discovery and Musher Camp. I'm sure it would be better to do a sled ride in the snow, but you have to fly to an elevated location for that. But the thing to keep in mind is that the dogs are not the movie star huskies you see in the movies or on postcards. They are mixed breeds, and surprising not very large. On the Iditarod, the maximum number of dogs pulling a sled is sixteen, and I think that was the same as we experienced, only the loaded sled was on wheels and weighed about 2,000 pounds. It's remarkable how hard those dog pulled all that weight. (Fortunately, it was before lunch.) This guy pulled our sled: We also got to spend some time with two week old puppies: In Ketchikan, Explorer was again relegated to Storage B. This time we had to take the twenty minute ride into town to board a tour boat (ferry-like) to the Misty Fjords. This was our only bad-weather day, and so the tour dragged on, about 2 hours to the fjords, and about another 2 hours back, which left us with only about an hour of scenic viewing. There were a ton of waterfalls, though, because of the rain. I think we had much better tours on Regent (then Radisson) Mariner in 2005 when we did the same itinerary in reverse. Oddly, we were younger then - I'm not sure what happened in between - and we did more exotic tours like taking a helicopter to Mendenhall Glacier. I definitely recommend splurging for at least one helicopter ride! You get to enjoy the memory and the image for many years later.

I feel that EB is wildly misrepresenting my comments. What I wrote was that stairs should be included, but elevators should be Regent's Choice. Crispy bacon at the gangway is unworkable, but wallpaper that tastes and smells like crispy bacon are doable. I did order from the always available menu on our first dinner at Compass Rose. I bet you didn't know, but I do now, that the escargot on that menu can be served three ways. The first time, it was served without a fork. The second time it was served with a proper fork. And the third and final time it was served with a spoon! From rainy Vancouver, I wish you all good and rewarding travels. Big Vin out.

I'm guessing that both flgreg and you read the full review because I really dumped on Abba there. AND it's kind of like the food issue - a lot of people like basic food, and Abba as a production show is about as basic as you can get. Better to do something they don't do on NCL and RCCL is my thinking. As much as I enjoy production shows, I think Viking Ocean will have some live music and that will satisfy me for a short cruise (!2 nights In Search of the Northern Lights, very low risk that I won't like that aspect, and even more so when I consider that it has three overnight visits, Narvik, Alta and Bergen. Mrs Vin and I might stay overnight in an Ice Hotel in Alta.) Bags don't have to be in the hall until 10 pm, so we will pack between the end of dinner and the 9:30 show. Until then, we used the bed and cabin for a lot of the day. I think Regent also cut back by having productions shows on five of the seven nights. I missed out on Krew Kapers because Mrs Vin and I were at a Culinary Arts class. Chef claims that she remembered me from 2017, but that could only be a bad thing, like I was the worst cook ever. Mrs Vin was going to wear a stuffed Disney Ratatouille mouse on her should, but backed out. If she had, I'm sure she would be remembered next time too. Today, the cabin attendant did not replenish the fridge. I grabbed a can of Tonic Water thinking it was Club Soda by mistake. And me being a long time member of the Soda Club.

I think the problem is more pervasive than I don't want to sail on a cruise with misbehaved children. It's also about Regent's abdication of their responsibilities in regard to those children and their parents. They are turning a blind eye! I witnessed children playing hide and seek in the gangway (non guest area), and scurrying about in the lobby and the hallways. Two nights ago, a family with a one year old and three year old were dancing in the Meridian where the Dixieland band was playing at roughly 11 pm. The one year old touched a cookie and drink (both from the coffee connection) on my table, and one parent was apologetic, but there were a lot of staff present who didn't want to deal with a one year old and a three year old in a bar. I have in my full review documented many unforced errors. Maybe the worst was the cabin attendant ringing our doorbell which had a PRIVACY hanger on it. He missed us when turn-down was supposed to happen, so we put the sign out. (Maybe a Rugrat reversed the sign?) But maybe more to the point, why does the World's Most Luxurious Ship still have door hangers for privacy and make-up room? I tried to address common questions I see here, so that's why I included the children in my conclusion, above. Food is always a topic in this forum The issue with the always available menu is that it is not gourmet cuisine. It's basic! You can get that anywhere. On the World's Most Luxurious Ship they should be able to do better. I couldn't get a properly seared rare ahi burger at the grill because the slices are so thin, if you sear it at all, it's already not rare. And they wouldn't take my custom order for ahi as I have done on other ships. (It was awhile ago, but the best grill for that was on the Oceania O ships.) They didn't have the themed meal (seafood, tex mex and so on) on the Lido as they sometimes do, which is usually pretty good. This morning I ordered Huevos Rancheros for breakfast in Compass Rose - I even had the discussion about the lack of heat on board. It was bland, and was not served with salsa. Is a little spicy salsa too much to ask? The only meal I thoroughly enjoyed was at Pacific Rim. I never saw any Pacific Rim items served in Compass Rose. I thought they did that sometimes, but apparently not in Alaska this past week. So ... starting with the pre-cruise, first post here, and continuing for six days so far, I documented multiple unforced errors, and anyone reading Cruise Critic who might want to know that everything is not all good times and noodle salad on Regent. Seeing that my first cruise on Explorer was nearly perfect. it might be reasonable to conclude that Regent is no longer worth the premium you pay for it. I'd be happy to address anyone's concerns or answer questions, either here or offline. I will still be live on board Explorer for 20 more hours.

I said I would post again on August 8, so here it is. Even though we have almost a full day to go, I don't think my conclusions will be substantially different. They must really want us off the ship because the cabin steward placed our luggage on the bed this morning. Doesn't that usually happen with turn down service? Conclusions: 1. The Production shows are really good. I am somewhat facetious in my nitpicking, above. For example, remember how I described the Irish dancers as looking like zombies because of the lighting and costuming? Well, last night, meaning two nights ago, the production used two songs from The Zombies. How great is that? And that's why ... they ... play ... the ... game. 2. The always available menu needs to go! It gets boring after a few days. And where is the heat? There are asterisks (or icons) for raw food and for healthy food. Where is the asterisk for spicy food? It never happened ... but some like it hot. 3. Only well-behaved children belong on a luxury ship. Misbehaved children should be vaccu-formed and jettisoned into space like General Zod in Superman II. 4. I always ask myself if an experience is compelling enough to try it again. The Regent experience used to be compelling, but it's not anymore, so I might as well try something new next time. It's already been decided that next time, 2024, is Viking Ocean and Viking Expedition. Maybe Viking Ocean will be compelling and we'll stay with that going forward. Or maybe Explora Journeys is in our future, or Oceania Vista, or even Crystal's old buckets Final score: Nitpickers 31, Explorers 14 "It takes a good team on a good day to beat Frank Tanana." -Frank Tanana 😀

Lest you think I am a hopeless Nitpicker, I should tell you that yesterday was a very good day for the Regent Explorers. We are about to sail away from Juneau which has been another good day so far. I don't know if Regent does this fleet-wide, but one thing different this trip is that we did not have to exchange the large Festination Services (TM*) ticket for a small numbered ticket. For the three port days in a row, we just met the tour guides on the pier. The advantage is that you can go shopping pre-tour, and then go directly to the tour meeting place with no need to return to the ship. I don't know if that is an accidental change for Covid, or it was someone's brilliant revelation. When you are in Juneau, don't forget to seek out the statue of Patsy Ann! Here it is from 2005 (top) and then today. I don't know the guy in the photo. If it's the same guy aged twenty years, that's just a marvelous coincidence. Thank you for all the off-line comments! I will reply to them all in time. * not really - that was an artificially intelligent auto correct

I may have been there as well ... and it may have even been a double header ... and it may have even been against the Twins. They had trouble attracting fans with their product during that period so the promotions were critical. We used to use those promotional items (bats, balls and helmets - although helmets were probably at Shea - for play, and not for collection. And that day, or maybe another like it, was problematic getting back on the "D" train - not that everyone had a bat - but I recall that the passengers trying to get off the train were pushed back on to the train by the passengers trying to get on the train. That some of us had bats didn't help. 😀

Did they fix the name? -Vin, posting for English Bob.

It's not part of my review because it's old news, but there are two physical flaws in the design of Explorer, and presumably Splendor and Grandeur, that I think everyone should know. One, there is no forward outside viewing area for the guests in the cheap seats. This was not a factor on our trans-Atlantic, but it is seriously frustrating that I can't take photographs from that vantage point in Alaska. Two, there are no good sight-lines from the balcony of the Constellation theater, and there are pole obstructions on the main level reminiscent of old (old) Yankee Stadium. Otherwise, the ship is as fantastic now as it was 2017. Someone suggested that I post a link to my live review, but I believe that particular website is verboten on Cruise Critic. As a devout respecter of rules, I cannot post that link. What I can do, though, is give out my secondary email address, and if anyone contacts me there, I would be happy to share my review(s), including a rare one of a Splendor cruise through the Panama Canal that was cancelled by Regent, March 14, 2020, bigvin@californiamail.com